Loudness voice maps
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Updated: Nov 12, 2026

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
Published on: May 23, 2017
Christian T Herbst1,2,3, Peter Pabon4
1Department of Vocal Studies, Mozarteum University, Mirabellplatz 1, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
Abstract:
The capabilities of human voice are often documented as achievable combinations of fundamental frequency (fo) and sound pressure level (SPL), establishing voice range profiles or voice maps. Notably, perceptual loudness may be a better descriptor for the communicative potential of voice. Addressing this, loudness-augmented voice maps were created for a cohort of 35 participants phonating in chest (M1) and falsetto (M2) register. For each voice map cell (each combination of fo and SPL), loudness levels (LN) were estimated using the ISO 532 loudness model. The isoparametric difference between LN and respective SPL within each voice map cell was computed as "excess loudness over SPL" (ELOS), expressed in units of [phon-dB]. ELOS was mostly positive but systematically varying across each participant's voice map, indicating larger loudness levels for respective SPL. Larger ELOS values were found for trained vs untrained singers and for M1 vs M2 phonation. Loudness-augmentation of voice maps is a useful tool, reflecting how a change in SPL pays off in loudness independent of the maximum loudness levels reached.
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